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Simple Roast Beef

Ready in 1 hr 20 mins

Recipe by Graham 

Roast Beef varies only by the quality of the beef you purchase. Prime rib is cut from the forequarter and this moist, succulent beef joint is ideal for roasting. It also makes a rather spectacular centrepiece when the ribs are left on - with the ribs cut out, it becomes rib eye steak. With its robust and meaty texture, enhanced by the natural marbling running through the centre, prime rib guarantees superb flavour, while the clean bones make it easy to carve. Naturally, it's even better if it has been aged for at least 10 days.

Preparation Time

5 Minutes

Cooking Time

1 Hour 15 Minutes

Ingredients for Simple Roast Beef

If you are not familiar with any ingredients, please check our International Cooking Terms page.

Currently displaying quantities in US Imperial Measurements

To serve 6 - 8:

approx 4 lb prime rib (or rib eye) of beef
2 tablespoons brandy
2 tablespoons horseradish sauce
  salt and pepper

How to Cook Simple Roast Beef

  1. Simply place the rib of beef in a roasting tray and cook in a preheated hot oven (Mk 7 - 425ºF - 220ºC) for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to moderate (Mk 3 - 325ºF - 170ºC) and continue to roast for 10 minutes per pound (rare) or 14 minutes per pound (medium) or 18 minutes per pound (well done). So, a 4lb joint cooked rare would be cooked for 70 minutes (30 + 4x10). Baste with any cooking juices during cooking. Mix the brandy and horseradish sauce together and smother the joint with the mixture for the last 30 minutes of cooking.
  2. Remove the joint from the oven and leave to rest in a warm place for 10-15 minutes before carving. Serve with seasonal vegetables and lashings of gravy.
GRAHAM'S HOT TIP:
If you are uncertain about how long to cook your beef for, here's a good page of roasting times information that you can use.
 
GRAHAM'S WINE RECOMMENDATION:
Choose a nice wine to go with your roast beef. To be honest there are very few wines that won't go well with a decent joint of roast beef so the real challenge is to find a wine that does the beef justice. If the beef is being served rare (is there any other way?), a fairly tannic wine such as a premium Bordeaux or one of the better Languedoc-Roussillon wines could be considered. The chewiness of the meat has the effect of making the tannins more subtle - making roast beef one of the best food partners for these types of wines.